Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-01-24
NEW HAVEN INTERESTS.

Return of The Committee From
Wash1ngten-Thefr Earnest Efforts
Am Behalf of The Breakwater And
Harbor, The Typographical and Ge-
odetic survey And Our shipping In
terests Also For Increased Sea
Coast Defences.
President James D. Dewell of the Cham
Der of Commerce, Hon. N. D. Sperry and
Captain Townshend arrived home Saturday
night from Washington. This committee
was appointed to represent at Washington
New Ravens interests regarding the break
water and harbor improvements; also to ad-
vocate the passage of a measure to secure the
completion Of Typographical survey of
Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York,
between the Narragansett Bay and the
North river, for ten miles back in the coun-
try, from high water mark; also to attend as
delegates to the convention of the American
Shipping and Industrial league which met
| January 18th at Wizards Hall; also to at
| tend as delegates to the annual convention of
the National Board of Trade, which met in
! Washington last week. This committee did
splendid work, and we'll deserve the thanks
of our citizens. The committee appeared
| before our representatives in Congress
and earnestly advocated in
crease of the appropriation
heard before the committee on rivers and
| harbors as they had calendared the bill and
| adjourned to meet again only after it's pas
sage. As the bill originally stood when it
| was made out by the engineer it was for
| $500, 900 for the breakwater and 500, 900 for
| the harbor. 1t was subsequently, cut down
in the war Office to 500, 900 for the break
| water and $40, 900 for the harbor, and when
it reached the committee it was slaughtered,
being cut down to $25, 900 for the breskwateI
and SO 900 for the harbor. The committee
are in hope that the Senate committee will
increase the amount to 100000 for the
breakwater and $685. for the harbor.
Among the bills the committee advocated be-
fore the Shipping and Industrial league were
the following:
In the Senate Of the United States January IA,
1886, Mr.. Frye introduced the following BILL which
4 bill for the relief of the merchant marine of the
United States engaged in the foreign trade
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in Con.
this act there shall be paid out of moneys in the
treasury of the United States not otherwise appre-
priated, to any vessel whether sail or steam built
and owned wholly in the United States, engaged in
the foreign trade the sum OF thirty cents per regis
pro rata for any distance Travelled less than one
one thousand miles on any voyage or voyages be-
tween this and any foreign country countries;
and the measure of distance travelled, and the dis
lance between ports or places in this country and
ports or places in foreign countries, and between
one foreign port place and another foreign port
or place, and from any designated point of longi-
tude and latitude to any port or place in this coun
try or any foreign country, shall be determined by
neasurements mLIcn snaio Re FL tb py Ie M f
navigation; and such payments to any vessel as
aforesaid shall be paid on the vesses arrival at a
with such regulations as the Secretary of the Treas
ury shall prepare and promulgate. The payment
thousand miles sailed herein provided to be paid
to vessels engaged in the foreign trade shall con-
tinue for the term of years and thereafter for
nine years at reduction of three cents per ton each
year upon each one thousand miles sailed and pro
rata for any less distance travelled.
In tie House of Representatives, January g, 1880.
Read twice, referred to the select committee on
American shipbuilding and ship owning interests
and ordered to be printed.
Mr. Negley introduced the following bill: A bill for
the relief of the merchant marine of the United
States engaged in the foreign trade:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States Of America in Con-
gress assembled, That on and after the passage of
the treasury:of the United States otherwise ap-
proprated, to any vessel, whether sail or steam,
built and owned wholly in the United States,
gagged in the foreign trade the of thirty cents
per registered ton for each one thousand miles sail
ed and pro rata for any distance travelled less than
one thousand miles, on any voyage or voyages be-
tween this and any foreign country or countries
and the measure Of distance travelled, and the dis
tauce between ports o. places in this country and
ports or places in foreign countries, and between
one foreign port place and another foreign port
or place. and from any dss gnated point of longi-
tude and latitude to any port place in this
Measurements which shall be fur ished by the
United States photographic Office to the bureau of
Aforesaid shall be paid on the vessel's arrival at
port of entry in the United States, in accordance
with such regulations the Secretary of the Treas
ury shall prepare and promugate. The payment
at the rate of thirty cents per ton for each one
thousand miles sailed, herein provide1 to be paid
vessels engaged in the foreign trade, shall con-
tnue for the term of ten years. and thereafter for
another term of nine years, at reduction of three
cents per each year upon each one thousand miles
sailed and pro for any less distance travelled
These two bills were both adopted by the
Shipping league but were rejected by the
Board of Trade by very slight majority.
The bills will, nevertheless, come before
Congress strongly backed and supported.
The Chicago delegation were instrumental in
defeating the bills in the Board of Trade on
the ground that they were against their lake
shipping interests. Hon. N. D. Sperry
made rousing speech before the Board of
Trade on American shipping and commerce.
Captain Townshend says it was the chief and
most powerful speech made st the Boards
session. Captain Townshend was not idle
either as regards the matter of New Ravens
breakwater and harbor interests or the mat
ter Of seacoast defences. Captain Towns
bend in the columns of the COURIER four or
five years ago advocated strongly in
series of articles the necessity
and Importance of additional sea coast de-
lenses for Long Island Sound and the sub
ject of sea coast defences in general which
thinking men all over the country were alive
TO, is now being most powerfully advocated,
in the halls of Congress backed up by lead
ing journals. Representatives of the Chamber
of Commerce and the Board of Trade and
Transportation of New York and the New
Haven delegates to the National Board of
Trade last Wednesday appeared before the
committee on Notifications of the House
appropriations committee to express their
Is lafo
invitation of the sub-commi ttee most of the
members of the full committee attended the
meeting. Addresses were made by Captain
Ambrose Snow, w. Il. Webb, a retired ship
builder; N. S. Bentley, Representative
Calkins and G. Waldo Smith of New York,
and Captain Charles Hervey Townshend of
New Haven, Conn, a Sound and Sandy
Hook pilot and retired shipmaster. All of
these gentlemen urged the immediate neces-
sity of government action in providing
coast defences and suggested, in view of the
fact that it would take many years to con-
struct steel forts and high power guns, that
the government should Immediately con-
struct a number of projectile rams, torpedo
and mortar batteries.
Captain Townshend dwelt especially upon
the importance of constructing ten or fifteen
rams of the cigar or Winans system. These
boats should be built of white oak timber,
he said, made solid for distance of hun-
dred f6et or more at the DOW ana stern, so as
to be non sinkable by shot or shell, and pro-
PEELED by twin screws, sheltered from fire be-
meath the vessels bottom, with heavy steel
plated bows. This class of vessels, ne said,
would be able to sink any armored ship
af1oat, while they might be easily transport
ed from one point on the coast to another.
He also advocated the protection
of Long Island Sound by
heavy steel-clad monitor-turretted
forts at the Race. He dwelt upon the
necessity for a similar steel fort at the New
Haven breakwater. Long Island Sound, he
said, was an inland sea that would afford
good anchorage at all times and might easily
be made a center of operations by hostile
fleet. Defenses on the Sound he regarded as
of more consequence to New York city than
at the Sandy Hook entrance, which was in a
manner, he said, protected from heavy
draught vessels by its bar. Another detail
of Mr.. Townshend's plan was the construe-
ton of a line Of earthworks along the shores
of New York harbor and the East river.
In reply to an enquiry of Mr.. Randall the
chairman of the committee of the House, as
| to what style of rams he would recommend
| building, Captain Townshend said, the
| Winans system built of wood and iron and
steel plated, solid forward and aft, except the
midship sections, where the boat bunker fire
and engine room must naturally come, and